So last week, I decided to start over and turn to -- once again -- MyFitnessPal! For those who are not familiar yet - MyFitnessPal is a really awesome app that helped me lose weight last year, when I joined the 2nd mini-biggest loser contest with my teammates. A month before the final weigh-in, I felt I had to be seriously competitive, so I tried the app and simply watched my calorie intake vs. the calories that I must maintain in a day. And that was it - I lost 5 lbs in 1 month! Because of that -- even though I didn't win the contest -- I considered myself a WINNER! And yes, I got hooked!
"What!? Calorie counting? Crazy!!!". For anyone who hasn't tried calorie counting yet, using MyFitnessPal (or any other formula/tool for that matter) sounds like a crazy obsession for health freaks who don't want to enjoy life. And I totally understand that - I was once judgmental like that. I even considered it useless, seeing that some people I know used it just at the start (and eventually quit).
But when I did it myself, a lot of things changed in my lifestyle, especially in my eating habits! For example, when I know that I'm going to have a night-out with my friends, and I know that it's going to put 600 calories in one meal (with just 2 pcs korean fried chicken, and 2 bottles of beer!), I will drop my plans to eat rice meals for breakfast and lunch. No, I won't refuse the chicken and beer (HAHA!)...instead, I'll turn to wheat bread sandwiches and/or salads before that night-out, so that I won't exceed my daily calorie goal. Or, if I know that my meals for the day will exceed by 400 calories, then I will do another hour of flow yoga which is equivalent to about 400 calories as well.
One important thing I realized here is that, calorie counting is NOT a way of depriving the self NOR battering the self with the endless DOs and DONTs during mealtime, but it's actually a way to have more awareness when it comes to body needs, and a way to find alternative, healthier options to compensate for unhealthy circumstances. Don't you agree?
Another good thing about MyFitnessPal - apart from the unusual options to choose maintain weight goal or even GAIN weight goal, you can also monitor your cholesterol, sugar, sodium, etc (Even vitamins!). This is also very useful for me, knowing I tend to be really careless when it comes to fatty, salty and sweet foods. So for example, if my sodium for the day is already near the limit, that means munching on no-salt popcorn would be a better option for our home-movie night. Or if I have already gone beyond my fat limit as early as lunch, that means no more fatty foods for me for the rest of the day (such as chicken skin, and/or dairy products!).
See, it's not really all about the calories. Nor just the weight. I know someone who can drink 1 liter of coke everyday because "she is in fact under-weight", and another someone who loves ONLY rice+pork liempo fat for lunch because "he doesn't get fat anyway". Seriously? I don't mean to be righteous but gee... I'm really scared that some huge illness is just waiting for them in the end! And it really makes me cringe, knowing some people just don't get it - Unless you know by heart that you live a healthy lifestyle, you really need to watch what you eat, regardless of your weight! (Especially once you hit mid 20s!)
Side note: That brings me to the new perspective I have now, when it comes to body types. I used to hate my body for being "tabain" (someone who gets so fat easily). Like I shared, I can gain 7 lbs in just 2 out of town trips. I can even gain 10 lbs in just one Christmas season! It really sucks, but now I think about it, it's actually a blessing in disguise. Since I gain easily -- which usually gets apparent with pants and bras that suddenly become tighter than usual (sorry, TMI! hahaha!) -- it's like having a body alarm to instantly tell me that hey, you're going out of track once again! And yes, by having that awareness I get to visit my fitness plans time to time.
"It's hard to compute!". Of course, it is hard. IF you do it manually! In MyFitnessPal, there's a really HUGE database of foods, which includes even the most specific dishes you can think of ...making calorie counting now easier than ever! Note - it will never be 100% accurate, but at least it will give a good approximation of everything.
And it's so easy not only because everything can be recomputed with just a few clicks for every meal ...but also because there's a bar code scanner (in its iOS version), which automatically displays the calories and other nutritional facts of a grocery item! Amaaazing, right?
And it's so easy not only because everything can be recomputed with just a few clicks for every meal ...but also because there's a bar code scanner (in its iOS version), which automatically displays the calories and other nutritional facts of a grocery item! Amaaazing, right?
"Sa simula lang yan!" (you'll do it only at the start!) - I can't deny that line's true for me as well. When the biggest loser contest was over, I ditched the app and moved on to Christmas feasts and out of town trips, without watching my food... which led to my current weight now. But that's the thing, it is an app that's always there with you, as long as you have your gadget (or PC) around -- how convenient! Therefore you can always easily go back on track. And once you decide to login after decades, MyFitnessPal will actually allow you to update your goals (instead of nagging you. haha!).
Resetting goals can actually make you ponder too, on things that might have changed since the last time you logged in. As for me - 1) my yoga practice now burns less because I do not have the weekend teacher training anymore. and 2) I don't have to rush in losing weight this time because I'm no longer in a competition. I just want to stop the glutton in me, and pull my weight down a bit. Therefore a conservative and healthy rate of at least 0.5 lbs loss per week will be totally fine for now. And I'm pretty sure that MyFitnessPal can be as nifty as how it was to me before. In fact, it's been just 4 days and I already lost 1.5 lbs! 5.5 lbs to go then I'll happily tap that MAINTAIN WEIGHT goal!
No, I'm not a paid endorser here (nor the healthiest person on earth, no.) I just looove this app so much ...that I hope my friends and loved ones will be open enough to use this app FIRST before giving up on themselves, OR before committing to an expensive and/or torturous kind of diet. After all, it's FREE. :)
Click here for the web version of MyFitnessPal!
Click here for the web version of MyFitnessPal!
(image from theskinnyconfidential.com)
Good on you, Leds! Calorie counting is a good strategy. And even if you only do it in the beginning, so what? Personally, I see it as a way of "recalibrating" what you know about your food intake and what your body needs. There's a lot of processed food out there that makes it even harder to estimate if you're eating too much or too much of a certain thing. By recording what you're eating for a certain amount of time, it's a good way to get an idea that ex. you're eating too much sugar, or you need more veggies, or you only need a certain amount of protein.
ReplyDeleteOnce you know, I don't think it's necessary to be super strict with the # of calories you eat. It's not so much the # that's important but rather knowing what your body needs and adjusting it when things change (ex. you exercised, didn't exercise, allowing yourself to indulge for special occasions but knowing how to bounce back, etc.)
As they say in IT -- what gets measured, gets managed.
There's a phenomenon called "skinny fat" -- people who are physically skinny, but are super unhealthy otherwise. I'd rather be a few pounds overweight, fit, eating the right food, etc. than someone who is skinny but has no muscle tone and fills their body with junk.
thanks for sharing, mela! :) didn't know about the term "skinny fat" -- so i googled it more and found that there's even a medical term for it: "MONW" or metabolically obese normal weight! interesting, and alarming! :O
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